U.S. Pat. No. 3,056,684 teaches protective paintlike coatings containing powdered zinc and partially hydrolyzed tetraethyl orthosilicate. The partial hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate is carried out by dissolving tetraethyl orthosilicate in an organic solvent, adjusting the pH of the solution to a range of 1.5 to 4.0 by the addition of a conventional acid and adding a quantity of water, such quantity being less than an equivalent weight with respect to the quantity of tetraethyl orthosilicate present. Typically, the conventional acids used as catalysts are mineral acids such as hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid. As a result of using the amount of a conventional acid necessary to effectively catalyze the reaction, there is a residual acidity which may create stability problems with the hydrolyzed ethyl silicate or pot life stability problems after the zinc powder is added.